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A kitchen with black and white cabinetry and a island countertop with gray chairs
Walker Woodworking

Design Notes

How To Modernize Your Outdated Home

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Does your home feel old and out of touch with the times? Have you wondered how to update its style and make it trendier? But do you also worry about the cost and effort of such a project? If you answered yes to these questions, we have the answers for you.

Every house eventually gets old. It doesn’t matter how well-designed the home is; this is bound to happen. As TEJRentals.com explains, that’s because popular house design trends are constantly changing as technology advances and buyer preferences shift.

And when preferences shift, you can’t go back and rebuild your home; you have to stay with what you have. But you don’t need to rebuild the house to bring it into the modern era. Updating your home does not require making massive changes to the property.

You need to understand the difference between style, class, and function. Although a house’s style may become outdated, it does not have to lose its class. Every home can remain functional regardless of its style and age.

An old-style home is one thing, but an obsolete home is an entirely different matter. In this article, we outline simple things you can do to pull your outdated home out of the past and into the modern period. You will be able to restore its appeal without giving up the quiet dignity that’s associated with old homes.

Declutter and Clean Your Outdated House

Giving the home a deep clean gives you the chance to look at the house with new eyes. You will be able to audit your belongings and reassess the usefulness of each item. You don’t know how much clutter you have accumulated until you do this process.

Simply getting rid of unused stuff and cleaning your carpets will make the home feel fresh. Doing a deep clean helps you see the actual state of the house. You can accurately assess the condition of various areas or objects in the home to determine the next steps.

Walker Woodworking custom cabinets peg drawers utensil drawer organized kitchen deep drawers dovetail drawers

Create More Space In Your Outdated Home

Modern homes have simple furniture and a lot of open space. They are designed to maximize airflow and allow ease of movement, unlike older homes, which often have huge furniture pieces.

Creating more space introduces the streamlined flow of a modern home into your old home. A few ways to do this are to replace large furniture with sleek modern ones, rearrange furniture to make rooms look bigger, get rid of carpets, discard old appliances, remove stacks of paper and other stuff, and rearrange cords and cables to hide or make them less messy.

Update Window Treatments

Blinds, shutters, and drapes determine how much light gets into the home and serve as a backdrop to the entire room. They can make a room feel confined, and just by looking at the window treatments in a home, you can guess what year the house was designed.

In place of inefficient old window treatments, use modern options like bright-colored drapery panels, sheer curtains, eco-friendly blinds made of rattan or bamboo, metal blinds with a wood-like appearance, or roman blinds.

Graber Window Treatments
Greenbrook Design

Repaint The Outdated Home

The color of the paint on walls and ceilings blankets everything in the home. If the paint is dull, faded, or old-fashioned, it will cloak everything in the home with these qualities. When painting your house, you must approach it strategically.

Merely applying a new coat of paint is not enough; the color palette you chose matters. Choose neutral interior colors to make rooms feel brighter, roomier, and airier. You should pay special attention to the colors of trims and crown moldings.

Update The Light Fixtures and Power Outlets

If the rooms in the home are poorly lit, most of your redesign efforts will become invisible at night. Poor lighting also makes rooms feel cramped. Additionally, aging light fixtures will feel out of place against the now redesigned home.

Replacing light fixtures and power outlets with modern versions that are more efficient and attractive will create a better overall result. The position of lighting also matters. By having sufficient lighting at various levels of each room, you will achieve the most illumination.

a kitchen with a marble island and stainless steel appliances
Walker Woodworking

Update Hardware

Door and cabinet handles, as well as plumbing fittings, draw a lot of attention. Swapping worn-out old designs for modern ones will have an immediate impact and lift your outdated home into the current. Visitors’ eyes instinctively go to the handles on doors and drawers, as well as the faucets on kitchen and bathroom sinks.

Small changes in these areas can have a significant impact. When changing the hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, it is also a good idea to refresh the cabinets themselves by refacing or repainting them.

In closing, although far from being everything you can do in your home, these steps will get you on your way to a more modern home. Enjoy doing them. Cheers.

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a kitchen with a large windowGreenbrook Design

Designing for Connection

Design Notes

No one would argue that we are connected, but in what way? Now more than ever, we are connected through technology; a quick DM here and a text there tells someone that we are thinking of them, but what about a physical connection among people? Today, homeowners are looking for spaces in the home that encourage interaction and connection with each other. Designers have realized this need and begun to create connections using certain design elements. We will share our top three ways to build connections within your home.

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July 14, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Fabuwood-Cabinets-Greenbrook-Design-Frameless-Painted-Blue-kitchens-24-inch-Kitchen-Aid-dishwasher-Ruvati-workstation-undermount-sink-blue-cabinets-KBL.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-07-14 12:53:012025-07-31 12:53:17Designing for Connection
A kitchen with white cabinets and a stove with kitchen appliances and a marble countertopWalker Woodworking

What is a Good Kitchen Renovation Budget?

Design Notes

Budget is a keyword that we often use here. The amount of money you feel comfortable spending on a kitchen renovation will determine the scope of work you plan to do for your kitchen remodel. A budget is a plan for how you want to spend your money. It is one of the most essential pieces in the renovation plan and helps guide the project

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July 7, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Walker-Woodworking-custom-cabinets-backsplash-under-cabinet-lighting-appliance-kitchen-countertop-pot-filler-hood-inset-cabinets.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-07-07 12:57:422025-07-31 12:57:59What is a Good Kitchen Renovation Budget?
a kitchen with a marble island and chandeliersWalker Woodworking

Better For You: Designing for your Health

Life, Styled

Choosing better products is not just better for the environment, but also for the health of those you love. Your family matters to us and drives us to provide you with the best possible options. Eco-friendly options are a great way to ensure that the quality of your products not only lasts but is safe. We encourage you to visit our showroom, where we have several products on display for you to browse and learn more about. When meeting with your designer, be sure to mention your desire to choose eco-friendly options so that they can create a design that is a perfect balance of function and harmony.

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July 1, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/white-cabinets-glazed-granite-tops.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-07-01 13:02:372025-07-31 13:03:08Better For You: Designing for your Health
A cabinet with interior LED lighting and a close up of the glass pitcher on displayWalker Woodworking

What to Consider When Selecting your Lighting and Flooring

Design Notes

Though our roots are in custom cabinets, we soon realized that we needed to expand our inventory to include lighting, flooring, countertops, and hardware. These elements help to complete the look and feel of a design, bringing in that last bit of the owner’s reflection.

Selecting just the right home accents and elements is often a fun process for our clients. It is an opportunity to add a little bit of themselves to the design, whether they choose the more traditional piece of hardware or go bolder with a contemporary piece. Each has a place and purpose in the design world, so we thought we would discuss a few options.

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June 28, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Walker-Woodworking-custom-cabinets-kitchen-LED-vertical-interior-lights-13-deep-finished-walnut-interior-black-metal-clear-glass-faced-doors-glass-pitcher-display-cabinet-storage.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-06-28 13:12:412025-07-31 13:13:14What to Consider When Selecting your Lighting and Flooring
a bathroom with a tub and a mirror bathroom designWalker Woodworking

DIY Home Improvement for the Win

Life, Styled

When it comes to your home, nothing is more important than security. Therefore, if you don’t have a reliable, easy-to-use security system in place, now is the perfect time to change that! And the best part about modern home security is that there are a lot of DIY options.

DIY systems are cost-effective and easy to install, and allow you to monitor your property remotely through a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Research the best DIY home security system for your needs and budget online.

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June 14, 2020/by Stacey Walker
https://i0.wp.com/greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Make-up-vanity-master-bathroom-mirrored-doors-mullions.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Stacey Walker https://greenbrookdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Design-Center-Logo-1-02-300x213.png Stacey Walker2020-06-14 13:18:072025-07-31 13:19:24DIY Home Improvement for the Win
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980-404-9600

 

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Vendors require an appointment. Please contact: Jan@greenbrookdesign.com

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